On Romeo and Bernadette

In contrast to the almost always sold out performances of RENT (by 9works Theatrical), Repertory Philippines’ love month offering ROMEO AND BERNADETTE, almost always ran on an empty theater. This is due, perhaps, on Rep’s lack of publicity; add to that the unknown play and author, and RENT getting all the attention from the press/media and even the corporate sponsors didn’t help either.

This is a shame because between the two plays, I actually preferred Romeo and Bernadette (R & B). I compare the two for the following reasons:
1. both opened on February 5 and will close on February 28;
2. both are musicals (with a live band on stage) and both set in New York City;
3. both plays are in English.

The similarities, however, end there. I know I shouldn’t be comparing the two because these are two very different plays. One is very real, the other a farce. One’s a drama, the other comedy. One’s being done by a newly created theater company, the other by the country’s oldest theater company! So, I shall stop comparing and will instead write my comments on R&B. Anyway, I think I pretty much said enough about RENT in my previous post.

So here goes…

Romeo and Bernadette is well, Romeo and Juliet. With a twist. Romeo didn’t die, just fell into a coma and woke up 500 years later to see his Juliet in Bernadette Penza – daughter of Salvatore Penza, leader of a mob family in Brooklyn. Again, I don’t want to waste my time writing about the play’s plot and synopsis so just Google it if you wish.

The play is very tongue-in-cheek; very camp. And I think it’s important for the viewer to know that for him to truly appreciate the comedy, otherwise, the cast would just seem so overly acting and weird. If you enter the theater with this mindset, then everything would make more sense. If not, you’ll probably still enjoy the performance; but would think the actors could use some acting lessons or something.

Notable in the entire play is the cast’s exaggerated Brooklyn accent. I believe this was necessary to show a clearer contrast with Romeo’s Shakespearean English. A great part of the show’s comedy is anchored on the language and accent, and I think the cast did a pretty good job at it. They were consistent at most, that when they falter, you find yourself easy to forgive.

And now, my view on the cast:

- Perfectly casted in the role of Bernadette is Cris Villonco. Cris, I believe, is one of the finest actors (musical or otherwise) in her generation. She said to have had doubts with doing a comedy since she’s done mostly dramatic roles before. But she was very funny. Effortlessly funny. And that voice! She, to borrow a line from the play, “has a voice of an angel.” Perfect.
- Playing Romeo is PJ Valerio, who surprisingly, did an awesome job! I guess the role was perfect for him too. Romeo’s character requires the actor to “ham it up” a bit. A task that was apparently not very difficult for PJ. Believe me, I’ve seen him in previous performances, and this wasn’t a far stretch for him. However, for this particular play, his “acting style” actually did him good. And the singing was nice too.
- The scene stealers of the show are Red Concepcion and Liesl Batucan, although it’s not entirely their fault. Their characters were meant to be that. The comic relief in a comedy about a tragedy. And they effectively played their parts.
- Another notable “scene stealer” is Rem Zamora who played… everybody else. From an accordion player to a tenor to a gay florist, a dance instructor, an immigration officer, etcetera, etcetera…
- Interesting too, were the “senior” actors who played the parents; mafia bosses Dido dela Paz and Jim Paoleli, and Juno Henares as Bernadette’s Veronese mother. Dido’s voice was sometimes annoying though, he should seriously consider quitting smoking. He’s beginning to sound like Baby Barredo!
- The odd men out were Kenneth Keng and Jamie Wilson. Odd men because of the entire ensemble, they were the weakest. Kenneth obviously is new in the business. He seemed like a head-less chicken running around the stage. And he could use some voice lessons too. I didn’t realize, until after watching Kenneth, that Fred Flintstone was from Brooklyn. Jamie, on the other hand, is a veteran of the stage. You would think that after all these years in theater he’d have learned to sing better. They weren’t really that bad, they were just not very good.

Over-all, I found this play rather entertaining; a pleasant theater experience. If only more people knew about it, many more would have had pleasant evenings at the theater.

Franc Lee speaking, Rep’s Romeo and Bernadette was… well, pretty cute.

my rantings on RENT

First of all, I would just like to note that it’s great that the theater scene seems to be very much alive. More shows mean more things for me to write about.

For my initial entry in this new-found outlet for expression, I have decided to share my views and comments on the two English musicals currently showing in Manila: the much publicized production of RENT and the “unheard of” production that is ROMEO AND BERNADETTE.

Let me begin with Rent.

I will not bother writing about the play’s plot and synopsis. If you haven’t heard of it, then I suggest you google it. This play ran on Broadway for quite some time and a film version has been made, so there is no excuse for anyone not to have heard of or about it.

Which leads me to what I believe is this production’s dilemma. Because it has been staged in Manila twice, with a film version, plus the recorded Broadway version, the ever popular soundtrack, etc.; the expectation on this latest staging is rather high. Comparing the current cast and staging with its predecessors is inevitable.

I did not want to compare this cast with the previous Manila production, but I guess, that would be quite impossible. I saw the first run of Rent with Bituin Escalante, Ricci Chan, Calvin Millado, JM Rodriguez, etc. I remember it was staged in Music Museum. And I remember how awe struck I was with the play’s music and message. This seemed very long ago. I tried to watch this version with very little expectation; but was hoping to, at least, be inspired by it. Oh, I was inspired, indeed. I was inspired to start this blog so I can rant and rave about this production and the many ones to come.

This latest staging of Larson’s take on the opera La Boheme is produced by the newly created 9works Theatrical with Robbie Guevara at the helm.

This play left me wanting. I wanted more, needed more. I went home rather disappointed. The cast were mostly newbies in the industry. And it showed. It seemed to me like they didn’t really know what they were doing or what they were talking about. It’s a given that most of them were infants in the 90’s in which the play is set; but that to me, is no excuse. You don’t have to get raped to play a rape victim!

To sum it up, I believe that this cast is too raw; too inexperienced to tackle such an important material. Perhaps if they open two months from now, they’d be better. Unfortunately, they only run till the end of February.

Generally it actually isn’t that bad. It’s just not very good. There are a few shining moments. There are a few great discoveries. Most of them sound really good, some even great. They can sing. But that, I’m afraid is not enough. If they opted to do a concert version, it would have been awesome, perhaps, amazing. But they didn’t.

Overall, this production seemed like a very high-budgeted, uber-promoted and well publicized workshop showcase. Had it been a workshop showcase performance, I would probably think it was superb. But it wasn’t. It isn’t. This was, is supposedly a professional theater production. The choreography didn’t help either. In fact, there were scenes where I felt were too choreographed. Maybe because the actors were inexperienced, and they didn’t know what to do with their bodies, they had to be told to do this and to do that. There were some scenes where they were literally miming the lyrics of the songs! There were too much unnecessary movements and gestures which, to me, were a distraction. An experienced professional would know that on stage, oftentimes, less is more.

This cast lacked the sense of self control (control their energy, voice, etc.) and discipline needed by an actor on stage. And they seemed to have very little grasp of their individual characters. They lacked understanding of their character’s depth and inner emotional struggles.

Here are the GOOD parts:

- The ensemble as a whole turned out to be pretty good; it’s when they break into solos that things start getting iffy!
- The veterans in the cast were notable, as expected. Carla Guevara was simply perfect for the role. Her Maureen was so much better than Monique Wilson’s in the original Manila run. Raul Montesa, Noel Rayos and Ring Antonio helped strengthened the ensemble.
- The break-through performance was, hands down, that of OJ Mariano as Collins. The guy can sing. And he can sing really well. And for a new comer, his acting wasn’t bad either. In fact, it was pretty good. He was believable and his character, real. More so than Michael de Mesa’s portrayal.

And now, the NOT-SO-GOOD parts:

- The leads Gian Magdangal and Fredison Lo unfortunately failed to carry the great responsibility that their respective characters entailed. Gian can sing, his voice was almost perfect for Roger, which is probably why he got the part in the first place. But this young man has zero depth. As in nada. He seemed restless on stage, his eyes were empty. It seemed to me like he went through his blocking because he was told to do so. There was no purpose to his being. He was just, well … there. He simply sang his songs (very nicely) and uttered his lines. But this role entails so much emotion, so much angst. He’s freaking dying of AIDS for crying out loud! I didn’t get anything from him. A stranger I met during the intermission even had the same comment. And this was her first time to see Rent. She just happened to be one of the very few creatures on earth who never heard of Rent. She apparently goes to the La Salle School of business in RCBC and decided to stop by the theater to watch. She’s not a regular theater goer either. And yet, she felt “parang may kulang.”
- Fred Lo looked more like Harry Potter than Mark. And he’s supposed to be Maureen’s ex-boyfriend, not her son! He looked like a baby next to Carla Guevara, and Carla looks so much younger than her age.
- Job Bautista as Angel. Oh my, where do I begin? Simply said, he was a disaster! A total miscast. This is the one the producers chose out of the hundreds who auditioned? I don’t get it. First of all, he has a lisp or something which is least to say, bothersome. His dancing wasn’t that great (I know many who can do the split and do it better); and his singing, Oh, his singing. He had the unfortunate task of following through the footsteps of Ricci Chan and Jake Macapagal; that in itself is a pretty tall order; and the producers should have realized that. So why hire this inexperienced, classically trained singer to tackle the very important, pivotal role of Angel whose vocal stylings require that of an R&B belter? I literally felt relieved when Angel died because that meant a respite from his annoying presence. Angel’s character had to be more than just your regular parlorista. He’s more than just a drag queen. Job, however, was nothing more than a skinny, cheap looking bakla from the kanto! And what the hell was that outfit all about? What on earth were you thinking Rajo Laurel????
- There are 2 Mimi’s. Nicole Asencio and Cara Barredo. I was privileged to watch both actors. Nicole can sing. She sings very well. Her voice is perfect for the role. But the girl cannot act. Just like Gian Magdangal, she should have been great had it been a concert version. She was as empty as an old politician’s promise. There was simply nothing there, aside from the pleasant sound of her voice. Cara, on the other hand, was obviously the more experienced one. Her units were clear. You see the intent, the purpose, the emotion and the internal struggle. However, the songs were simply not her range. She’s a classically trained singer and Mimi’s songs are more pop-rock. I’m not saying she did badly. In fact, she was pretty good. If I had to choose between an actor who can sing and a singer who can’t act, I’d choose the actor everyday of the week and twice on Sundays. Musical theater, after all, is so much more than singing.

And that is what this staging of RENT needed: More actors. Real actors (who just happen to have the pipes to belt Season’s of Love). They were bound to be compared to the many actors and singers who have had the chance to play these roles before them. It would be stupid for anyone to expect a cast that would surpass the original. I never expected anything like that. I understand that would have been a tough order. I would have been satisfied with an equally talented cast; If not in singing, then in the over-all performance. And this country has never been wanting of talents. There is so much talent going around. This cast after all found a more effective Maureen and a better sounding Collins. Why didn’t they try to complete the line up? Why stop there?

Franc Lee speaking, this production of RENT is… well, for lack of a better word… blah!

I shall write about Romeo and Bernadette tomorrow. I didn’t expect this to get this long!

hello

today's my first day, and first time to ever blog. i shall post my initial review within the day. just need to go to work!

watch for my honest to goodness review on RENT and ROMEO AND BERNADETTE. SOON!